HNC Health Care

Health Targets

Towards a Healthier Scotland

Towards a Healthier Scotland is the Government’s white paper on Health in Scotland, issued in February 1999. It is the major current statement of policy on tackling health inequalities and health promotion. It is based on the green paper Working Together for a Healthier Scotland and the responses to it.

It recognises that ‘we still have a mountain to climb in terms of health inequalities between various groups and areas’, but says : ‘The time is right, the commitment is there. Now we need action.

It promises to develop:

An attack on health inequalities based on a comprehensive and co-ordinated use of health and other resources & agencies capable of influencing health.
A focused programme of initiatives for the health of children & young people.
Major initiatives aimed at the prevention of Scotland’s two major killing diseases, cancer and coronary heart disease.

Below are listed the key targets for each of them.

Discuss the social groups most affected and the social reasons why they are most affected.

Appoint a spokesperson to report back to the rest of the class.

	Annex A
Headline Targets for Scotland

	Indicator	Trend/Level	Target
Coronary Heart Disease	Age standardised mortality rate from CHD in people under 75 years	The year 2000 target - toreduce mortality amongpeople under 65 by 40% between 1990 and 2000 - is likely to be met.	Reduce by 50% between 1995 and 2010: ie from 143 to 72 deaths per 100,000 population.
Cancer	Age standardised mortality rate from all cancers in people under 75 years	The year 2000 target - to reduce mortality inpeople under 65 by 15%between 1986 and 2000 is likely to be met.	Reduce by 20% between 1995 and 2010: ie from 188 to 150 deaths per 100,000 population.
Smoking	Smoking among young people (12-15 year olds)	No current target. At highest level since 1984.	Reduce smoking among young people from 14% to 12% between 1995 and 2005 and to 11% by 2010.
	Proportion of women who smoke during pregnancy	No current target.	Reduce the proportion of women who smoke during pregnancy from 29% to 23% between 1995 and 2005 and to 20% by 2010.
Alcohol Misuse	Prevalence of men and women aged 16-64 exceeding weekly limits of 21 and 14 units of alcohol	The year 2000 target - a 20% reduction in adults exceeding weekly limits - will not be met as excess drinking is on steady increase for both men and women.	Reduce incidence of adults exceeding weekly limits: - from 33% to 31% for men between 1995 and 2005 and to 29% by 2010. - from 13% to 12% for women between 1995 and 2005 and to 11% by 2010.
Teenage Pregnancy	Pregnancy rate among 13-15 year olds	Higher than in most other Western European countries.	Reduce by 20% between 1995 and 2010.
Dental Health	Proportion of 5 year olds with no experience of dental disease	62% of 5 year olds caries free in DepCat1; 20% in DepCat 7 (in 1995/1996).	60% of 5 year olds to have no experience of dental disease by 2010.

Second Rank Targets

	Indicator	Trend/Level	Target
Diet	See Scottish Diet Action Plan	Increasing trend inconsumption of fruit and vegetables and low fat products.	Retain targets for 2005 in Scottish Diet Action Plan.
Smoking	Rate of smoking among adults (aged 16-64) in all social classes	Current target has different age span. Downward trend (since 1972) was reversed in 1996.	Reduce rate of smoking from an average of 35% to 33% between 1995 and 2005 and to an average of 31% by 2010.
Alcohol Misuse	Frequency and level of young people (12-15) drinking	No current target but on increase.	Reduce frequency and level of drinking from 20% of 12-15 year olds to 18% between 1995 and 2005 and to 16% by 2010.
Physical Activity	Proportion of 11-15 year olds taking vigorous exercise 4 times or more weekly	32% in 1994.	Increase proportion from 32% in 1994 to 40% in 2005 and to 50% in 2010.
Physical Activity	Proportion of men and women aged 16-64 taking 30 minutes of moderate activity on 5 or more occasions each week	32% of men and 22% of women in 1995	50% of men and 40% of women to be taking 30 minutes of moderate activity on 5 or more occasions each week by 2005 and 60% and 50%, respectively, by 2010.
Cerebrovascular Disease	Age standardised mortality rate from this disease in people under 75 years	No current target but general trend downwards.	Reduce by 50% from 1995 level by 2010.
Dental Health	Proportion of 45-54 year olds with no natural teeth	17% in 1995 with no natural teeth.	Less than 5% of 45- 54 year olds to have no natural teeth by 2010.

Notes

(a) Drug Misuse

Drug misuse national strategic objectives and priorities have been published and provide a performance framework for the effective planning and delivery of drug misuse services measured against a range of performance and activity indicators. Those delivering the drug misuse information strategy will publish regular updates of progress so that the Government begin to measure, nationally, for the first time, how Scotland is progressing against the wide range of fronts covered by drug misuse. Performance measures will be set, however, in due course, in the context of current work on an enhanced Drugs Strategy Framework for Scotland and the response to the UK Drugs White Paper published in April, 1998.